Seattle Teachers Boycott Standardized Test

Garfield High School teachers have recently received a lot of attention due to the unexpected support received after the boycott of the MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) standardized test. The teachers argue that the test does not accurately portray their students’ progress, for it is not aligned to the school’s curriculum. The students, aware that they are not receiving a “ valid grade” simply focus on racing through the test, while the ones who are being judged for their performance – the teachers – are not given a fair assessment of their work. Contrary to what some may believe, the educators do not claim to be against all tests, but are very much against a test not aligned specifically to their curriculum and that may have been adopted for reasons other than the best interest of the students; the test was adopted for four million dollars.

Standardized tests are clearly flawed representations of students’ progress, for it does not clearly portray that he or she has fully understood and interpreted the content that is actually being taught in the classroom. The conflict with standardized tests has been occurring for years, but it has just recently been acted upon; while other teachers and various school districts might share this feeling, they might not be willing to take a stand onto what they truly believe is the correct thing to do. While critics of the boycott state that teachers at Garfield High are simply afraid of accountability for their students’ performance upon what they have learned in the classroom, teachers state just the opposite:

“None of us is against accountability or rigor, we just want assessments that reflect what we teach in the classroom and that mold our students into successful participants in our various communities.” 

                                                                 – Jesse Hagopian, spokesperson for the boycott.

Teachers are demanding nothing more than what they should be awarded; assessments in the classroom that are properly adapted to the curriculum, thus accurately interpreting students’ progress.

When talking about possible solutions, some suggest getting rid of tests in general, and instead keeping a regular portfolio where the students would gather year-round work, keeping track of their constant development. I, however, believe tests are necessary for the benefit of the students, for it is the only viable way to fully check if a taught subject is fully understood or if it needs more review. It is both the students’ and the teachers’ job to ensure a concrete understanding of what is taught in the classroom, and Garfield’s High School called-for boycott is doing nothing but demanding circumstances that will make those conditions ideal. In a time where individuality is slowly being taken away from us, we need to remember that not everyone is the same – whether it be in or out of the classroom – and begin to build around that.